Canning Jars & Equipment

 

I am into small batch canning using simple and very basic equipment.  My personal preference in canning jars is the Mason or Ball regular mouth pint jars.  They are the most affordable, easiest to get and suit my needs quite nicely.  Pint jars are the perfect size for feeding one or two people and they fit in my electric pressure canner.  My pressure canner will not do quart jars.

 

Water bath canner

I have both a water bath canner and an electric pressure canner.  I use the water bath canner for canning jams & jellies, fruit, salsa, tomatoes, relishes and pickles.  I use the pressure canner for meats, beans, soups, chili and vegetables.

 

Traditional stove top pressure canner

In addition to the canners and jars I find a jar lifter as well as a canning funnel to be quite useful.  I don’t have a special debubbling tool, I use a chop stick.  I don’t have a magnetic lid lifter, I use my fingers.  I use towels to rest my hot processed jars on to cool.  There is nothing fancy about the way I can.  To sterilize my jars for water bath canning I will either boil them in the canner filled with water, run them through the dishwasher or place my jars in a hot oven depending on my mood.  I’ll usually just use the oven if I’m also planning to bake something.  Boiling water is what I use most often.

 

My electric pressure canner

A sharpie marker is a good item to have on hand so you can write the date and what is in the jar on the lid.  I don’t use labels unless I’m planning to give something as a gift and then I might run some mailing labels through my printer, but for the most part a simple description and the date is written on the lid.

 

I use regular flat lids, my preference is Ball lids, but sometimes I don’t have that option so I have to find others.  Rings will come with your jars and can be reused.  There is some debate as to whether you should reuse lids so that is up to you, but I will sometimes reuse a lid if it is in good shape to can jams or jellies.  I personally would not reuse a lid to can other foods.

 

That about covers it for now.  The rest of the equipment you might need for canning likely already exists in your kitchen.  Bowls, pots & pans, knives, cutting boards, spoons, etc.  Next time we will start canning something for the pantry.  Get yourself some half pint jars and a water bath canner and we will get started.

 

Investing In My Vintage Motorhome

 

You may be wondering (but more than likely the thought hasn’t even occurred to you) if it is wise for me to invest my time, energy and hard earned cash into a thirty six year old vintage motorhome.  Recently I wrote and put up a post about making wise decisions, especially when it comes to the big stuff.  I personally consider owning a motorhome, or any vehicle for that matter, to be a big decision and as such I always want to make sure that what I do with regard to my vehicles is well thought out and that I’m employing smart decision making.

 

My motorhome is an all season twenty foot Minnie Winnie Winnebago and was built on a Chevrolet G30 van chassis in 1987.  At the time she was listed as a deluxe model because, in addition to her steel cage construction and extra insulation, she was loaded with a lot of extras not normally included on motorhomes at the time which included plush upholstered captain’s chairs in the cockpit, cruise control, surround sound stereo all the way to the back, upgraded appliances (the original refrigerator is no longer), upgraded heating and cooling systems, upgraded cabinetry and finishes, plus a lot more.  Her original listing price in 1987 was $29,509, which translates to just under $80,000 in today’s dollars.  That just so happens to be the base price of most smaller bare bones RVs I looked at six years ago when I was searching for a motorhome in 2017.

 

I looked at and drove so many RVs during my search for “just the right one” over a two year period of time.  Everything from new to used to overused (yikes!), I pretty much saw it all but it helped to narrow down and determine exactly what I wanted, what I  didn’t want and what was most import for me to have.  Durability and a smaller size was at the top of my priority list.  I didn’t want anything too long and the fact that Laverne fits into a regular parking space is pretty fantastic.

 

I quickly determined that a new RV wasn’t right for me.  For one thing the price, I flat out didn’t have that much to spend and I definitely didn’t want to finance anything.  Secondly, the newer ones aren’t all that durable.  I honestly felt like they were made out of cardboard and cheap thin wood that over time would fall apart in rather short order.  I would always need to fix, repair or replace items and I worried that because they seemed rather flimsy it wouldn’t take long for water seepage and leaks to appear.  To me it just didn’t seem like the value was there for the prices they were asking, not even remotely.  Of course, had I been willing to spend even more I’m sure the quality would’ve improved, however I wasn’t.

 

I pretty much knew the moment I climbed into my Minnie Winnie she was “the one”.  She felt like home.  And after I crawled over, under and all the way through her, then test drove her I was confident she was “the one”.  After sleeping on it overnight I ended my two year search, called the owner, we dickered on price and came to an agreement.  By that evening she was mine and sitting in my driveway full of friends who were almost as excited as I was.  A short time later I named her Laverne.  It is the first time I’ve ever named one of my vehicles, but it just seemed right do give her a name and this one seems quite fitting.

 

Over the past six years I’ve worked on her, finishing repairs that weren’t quite completed by the previous owner, fixing repairs that were done by the previous owner, sprucing her up, doing the mechanical work that she has needed to have done as well as more recently replacing all of her tires and upgrading the dual wheels on the back as well as the spare tire.  To say she has been a labor of love would be an understatement.  In the past six years she has been lightly used, mostly for testing purposes, but at long last she is ready for some serious travel.

 

With all of the knowledge I have gained in my search for this RV, the ones I have owned in the past, as well as working on one for several years I feel confident that as I go along I am making careful and wise decisions as far as what I’m investing into this motorhome.  Because of the quality of this girl (she is a beast!) and her present condition I know I can handle spending a fair amount of money to make her grand and that is what I may do over time.  I know that what I have spent so far wouldn’t touch the tip of the iceberg on a new RV, or even a newer RV, and therefore I know I could comfortably spend a lot more and still be money ahead.  I feel good about that moving forward.  Thankfully, she is not a money pit.  It also helps a lot that I saved up and set aside funds for her prior to retirement.  Yes, she is older, kind of like me, but as they say “they sure don’t make them like they used to”.  I think she is a treasure and I’m so happy and grateful that I have her.  Now we just need to hit the road.

 

Working On Some Updates & Want Items

 

At this time I have a larger project going on that I will be sharing with you later, but while waiting for paint to dry and supplies to arrive I was able to tackle a few other mini projects.  You all know I refreshed my downstairs bathroom which is a little powder room located off of my laundry room.  I’m still elated with the final results of that project and I’m so happy I did it.  One of the things I had to take care of prior to that project was to replace the thermostat that had broken.  After swapping out that the old with the new I decided to go ahead and get another one so I could replace the thermostat in the upstairs bathroom as well.  I had noticed the last few times I had turned it on that the knob was getting difficult to turn so I wanted to get that taken care of before it too decided to break.

 

Many, many years ago I had updated all of the original ivory outlets and light switches to white ones.  All of the new light switches I installed were the rectangular rocker style with the exception of the upstairs bathroom.  Prior to swapping out all of the outlets and light switches I had to update the ones in the bathroom when they became worn and faulty.  At that time I had used regular style switches.  I left those as is since they were new even though they didn’t match the rest of ones in the house.  At the time I just figured I’d update those once they started to wear out, but as it happened they never did.

 

Simple little changes make a big difference

I always wanted a timer switch for the exhaust fan in the upstairs bathroom, purely a want item, certainly not a need.  But, I always thought it would be nice to be able to set a timer for the fan to be on after I showered so I could go downstairs and not have to remember it was running.  I have often forgot to go back upstairs and turn it off.  I finally got my timer and because it is shaped like a rocker switch I also got a new light switch and updated both so all my light switches throughout the house are now the same.  I like things to be cohesive.  Same light switches, same power outlets, same style of thermostats in my bathrooms, it’s just how I am.

 

Before

Along with all of these updates I also made my way through the house and replaced all the plates that had cracks or damage.  I had extra white screws and I even swapped out any plate screws that had chipped or missing paint.  I am amazed at how simply swapping out a screw or even touching them up with a little white paint makes them look clean, fresh and new.

 

After

Simple maintenance really goes a long way.  Just simple little changes and updates make everything look so nice and well kept.  Even more, it makes me feel good, especially when those simple tiny changes make my life a little bit better and the sense of pride I have in my home and my ability to make those changes is priceless.

 

My Tireless Retirement - Week 57

 

Hello everybody!  Spring!  It is here and I am so very happy about it.  Even if it means I have to pull weeds, I’m completely fine with that.  Plus, it makes my chickens very happy because I give the weeds to them as a snack and they love to eat them.  Soon the trees will be all leafed out and I have blossoms on the fruit trees now.  The tulips are finally blooming and so very pretty.  I’m so excited to see my yard in all its glory.

 

My neighbors were out of town and let me use their trash and compost recycling bins to get rid of some of my backyard debris.  Instead of parceling it out over several weeks I was able to get it all out to the curb in just two.  I have one more pile of leaves to clean up and go into the chicken’s pen area and a few more pieces of rotten wood from our old fence that I had planned to burn in our firepot, but it didn’t happen.  The firepot itself has rusted out so that is now slated to go to the curb as well, probably in next week’s trash pickup.  So far I’ve managed to get rid of all this stuff around here without a trip to the county landfill or the added expense of that visit.  Best of all, most of what I had in the backyard to get rid of has been rehomed or recycled and what has been sent to the landfill via the weekly curb pickup is stuff that will breakdown quickly.  Yay for that!

 

My neighbor's tree as seen through one of Laverne's windows

Once the fruit trees were pruned I was able to get outside and get them sprayed just in time before they blossomed.  With all the rain we’ve had I was wondering if I’d get the chance to get that done, but I did.  I’ll spray them again once the fruit appears.  We have problems with moths getting at the trees and fruit as well as leaf miners.  I try to use organic sprays whenever I can to control the pests.  After pruning and spraying I’m hopeful for some pears and apples to can this year.  We didn’t have a good crop last year, unfortunately.  Here’s hoping for improvement this year!

 

Cheese omelet, bacon & a mandarin

There were a few good deals at the grocery stores so I was able to fill in some low spots as I continue my pantry challenge.  During the week I was able to use up things I already had on hand to make meals.  I had made some crack chicken a couple weeks ago and then took half of that to remake into a small pan of enchiladas the following week.  Several meals for myself using up chicken in the freezer dated in 2020, some cheese in the freezer dated 2021 as well as the end of a package of corn tortillas and a half of a jar of green chile sauce I’d had in the fridge for a little while.  It was nice to get that all used up before it had a chance to go bad.

 

Jack napping on the couch in Laverne

Me antagonizing him
He loves it, don't let him tell you any different

In celebration of warmer weather I picked up my favorite angus beef hotdogs on sale at Fred Meyer and those made an appearance a few times during the week as well.  Somehow hotdogs equate to summer for me and now I’ll have some to take camping so Laverne and I can have a weenie roast if we want to.

 

I splurged on this massive dahlia

On May Day (May 1^st) I picked up a load of flowers and a couple new perennials to plant in my yard.  After careful inspection I am happy to report that almost everything I planted last year not only survived me but also our lengthy cold snowy winter and is coming back to life.  My Irish moss didn’t make it, but I’ve never had much luck with that in the past so lesson learned, no Irish moss.  The flowerpots are now planted and I’ve added the new perennials to the main flowerbed as well as a fall chrysanthemum I had in a pot.  At long last it is looking so lovely outside.

 

Last week I was able to get all of my windows washed inside and out as part of my quarterly housekeeping checklist.  I cannot tell you how good it felt to wash off all the winter grime after countless wind and rain/snow storms and get to look out on my yard through crystal clear glass.  Call me crazy, but I’m just so tickled to have clean windows right now.

 

Along with chatting with the neighbors, window washing, yard work, planting flowers and some more decluttering I also spent a morning doing a door swap on the downstairs bathroom and then I spent the following day painting said door which morphed into a complete refresh.  Definitely not what I had planned to do with my day, but I’m super happy I did it.  I sure love the final results.  I’ve also started another project that I hope to have wrapped up by the end of next week so stay tuned.

 

I hope you all enjoyed a fabulous week and have a blessed week ahead.

 

Flowers & Yard Plans

 

April showers bring May flowers – finally!  I’m thrilled that spring has finally arrived and the overnight temperatures are such that I can safely consider adding new flowers to my yard and contemplate a garden.  Still on the fence as to whether I want to plant a vegetable garden this year, but regardless I’m ready to give the very back of my yard a long overdue makeover.

 

Last year I embarked on a mission to completely re-landscape my entire yard from the curb at the street all the way back to my backyard fence line.  I almost made it too.  By October I had made it to the end of the deck before the weather changed and to be honest I had pooped out.  So close, but that’s okay.  We’ll get it done this year and it is going to look amazing.

 

I want to rebuild and reconfigure the raised garden beds, had some nice walking space, rebuild and possible relocate the compost bin, landscape around the chicken coop as well as the deck, and add more gravel and mulch throughout everything.  That’s a pretty good list.

 

So far I’ve planted all of my flower pots and hanging baskets including the galvanized bucket I’ve got hanging from a hook on the chicken coop.  I’ve added a few new perennials to the large main flowerbed and annuals as well.  I’m so happy with how many plants survived the winter and are springing back to life.

 

How about you?  Do you have any yard or gardening plans this year?

 

My Small Bathroom Refresh

 

I did something this week that was totally unplanned, heavily thought about and definitely something I was hoping to do this year.  I gave the little downstairs bathroom a makeover and it didn’t cost me anything out of pocket to do it.  It all started with a door.

 

I like this ever so much better

My house was built in 1979 and they didn’t splurge on the finishes.  All of the trim was made with fake wood and all of the doors were made from compressed fiber board, not much different from cardboard if you ask me.  Long ago my son had put a hole in the door to our downstairs bathroom by opening it into his foot and it looked terrible.  Officially, all of our doors now had a hole in them at that point.  At the time I didn’t have the budget to replace the door so I removed it and replaced it with a temporary solution of a bifold door.

 

I've always wanted to do something about this heater to make it look better

We all know how temporary sometimes works itself into long term, but I can tell you that for the past twenty odd years I’ve never liked that bifold door I put up.  Not attractive and not easy to clean either.  But the other day I came up with a solution to swap it out with bifold closet door in the guest room.  Brilliant!

 

It was a little dirty so I gave it a bath

The other thing that I never liked in that bathroom was the dated heater, at least the beige trim piece.  So I took it down and gave it a couple of coats of white Rustoleum spray paint I had out in the garage.  It made a huge difference in how it looks and now it blends into the ceiling instead of standing out.

 

Well since you're at it you should paint the ceiling

Well now you have to paint the walls

Monday morning the plan was to just paint the new door which had some scuffs and dings on it with some leftover paint I had in the garage from the upstairs bedroom makeover.  Then I decided to paint the door jamb and trim too.  Since I had the heater trim down it seemed like a good idea to paint the ceiling while I was at it.  Of course once the ceiling was painted the walls looked pretty dingy and before I knew it I was stripping down the bathroom and painting the walls too.

 

I like this ever so much better

Once the second coat of paint dried I put everything back together, rehung the medicine cabinet, cleaned and put the outlet plates on, washed the light fixture, put the freshly painted heater trim piece back up, put up the towel holder, the TP roll holder and rehung the decorative towels.  Then I gave everything a thorough wipe down and mopped the floor.  It feels so clean and fresh in there now.

 

Bright, fresh & clean

Huge improvement overall

I love too that all of my doors in my house are updated and matching with the exception of the hall closet door and now the guest room is without a closet door.  I had one of the glass knobs left to put on the bathroom door so now all of my knobs are the same throughout the house as well.  I’m thinking that for the time being I will clean up the old bathroom door and use that for the guest room closet while I’m searching for a replacement for the hall closet.  That door is a size that is no longer made so I’m going to have to get creative.  I’m hoping to give the hall closet a refresh this year as well.  Wish me luck finding a door for the hall closet that not only fits, but also matches the rest of the doors in my house.  Restyle and Facebook Marketplace, here I come!

 

My Tireless Retirement - Week 56

 

It is May Day my friends.  I’ve always wanted to purchase and plant some flowers in celebration of May Day (but I usually had to work) so that is what I’ll be doing today.  I’m excited to finally be able to put some flower pots together and add some color to the beds I put in last year.

 

No more piles like this in my backyard anymore - hurray!

Looking back I cannot believe all that I was able to get accomplished in April.  My gosh, it was a lot!  From nagging punch list items that I’ve needed to finish for a couple of years to more decluttering to yard clean up and pruning my fruit trees.  I even got the garage completely cleaned up and reorganized.  A lot of extra scrap wood I no longer needed ended up being given away on Facebook Marketplace.  I’ve taken in a load of stuff to the thrift store, a load of stuff to the hazardous waste disposal site, a bin full of glass to be recycled and I’ve set a very full recycle bin on the curb along with a full trash bin too.  It feels wonderful to have made so much progress.

 

She is so cute!!!

Also in April I finished up several projects on Laverne and she visited the mechanic and got all new tires.  That was a huge accomplishment.  I’ve also been “moving” things into her in preparation of some summer travel, mostly camping.  I am super excited about that.

 

In spite of this I was still able to make a lot of progress

We’ve had a rather late start to spring but things are finally popping up and my rhubarb is growing and the tulips are blooming.  Normally I can cut of bouquet of tulips for the table on Easter, but not this year.  The trees are starting to finally leaf out as well and soon I’ll be able to enjoy my leafy canopy over the new yard I put in last year.

 

I should probably work on getting that beer out of here 😆

I’ve been steadily working on my pantry and freezer challenging myself to use up items so they do not go to waste and I will be continuing that into May as well.  I still have a ways to go.  I had used up all the beef I had enjoying the last steak on Easter, but I do have a lot of chicken and pork.  I was able to add some beef to the mix by purchasing four packages of meat I found on markdown.

 

Score!

I top dressed all of the raised garden beds with the compost that had wintered over.  The chicken coop got cleaned out and I added all of that matter to the compost bin so the process starts over.  I’ve also added some leaves I had cleaned up in the yard to the pen area of the coop so the girls wouldn’t have to be in the mud.  They love the leaves and it keeps them busy scratching and picking through them.  While out running errands I stopped at the feed store to pick up a 50# bag of scratch grains for them.

 

Last month I started a new quarterly checklist and managed to tick off about a third of the tasks on the list.  I love that I no longer need to dedicate time to spring cleaning and now since I’ve done so much decluttering this year it takes me even less time to do laundry, clean and keep house.  Even better!

 

A much tidier garage - Love! 😍

I definitely think I had a mad case of both cabin fever and spring fever, but I sure am happy with the results.  I would love to hear what you’ve been up to lately.  Have you been touched by spring yet?  Have you planted flowers or have plans to do so soon?  I hope all is well in your world.  Happy May!